There are many secrets and hidden stories within the forests and waters of Voyageurs National Park.  But perhaps one of the strangest is that of a mysterious recluse who made his home in the rugged back woods near Namakan Lake.

Sometime in the 1930s, locals spotted a small old man paddling a crude log raft on the park’s waters, earning him the nickname “Catamaran.”  No one knew where he came from or why he shunned civilization.  He seemed to be educated and reportedly spoke with a British accent.  He said his name was Bert Upton but refused to reveal more about himself.

Upton lived in a crude hut built over a dug-out hole in the ground, furnished with a homemade hammock but few other possessions.  He occasionally scavenged materials from logging camps but rejected offers of food and clothing from neighbors in the area.  He snared rabbits and other wildlife, and he also fished the local waters.  He seemed to enjoy his surroundings, forging paths in the woods and even planting attractive gardens around his hut.

Just five feet tall and wildly unkempt, Upton wore hacked-off pants and walked with a large walking stick. He was usually clothed in a cast-off wool jacket and a long cap made from the legs of long underwear.  He walked about in bare feet most of the year, but he was seen wearing shoes during the harsh Minnesota winters.   It’s hard to believe he could survive the severe cold, though he reportedly followed the old-world custom of conserving body heat by spending most of the winter in bed.

Some suspected Catamaran was fleeing the law; others just considered him a bizarre outcast.  Everyone agreed he was peculiar since he often suspected any donations of food were poisoned.

Whatever his past, the end of his life was no mystery.  He was found frozen to death in the snow by a local explorer, just a half-mile from his home.

If you’re lucky enough to camp out in the magnificent forests of Voyageurs National Park, perhaps you’ll begin to appreciate what brought this mysterious recluse to the North Woods and why he stayed.